About
People &
Planet Week



9 to 15 November 2026



Inaugural edition



Global

People & Planet Week is a global celebration of innovators and solutions which are making a difference for people and the planet.

People & Planet Week 2026

9 to 15 November 2026

Discover, experience, contribute

From 9 to 15 November, participating countries will offer activities through which the public can discover, experience and contribute to social innovation happening around them.

60+

Days

120+

Hours

Minutes

Seconds

Participants discussing at a GCSI event.

Ways to take part

Volunteering days
Storytelling campaigns
University talks
Social hackathons

From volunteering days and storytelling campaigns to university talks and social hackathons, people can take part in programmes to explore the social initiatives that shape everyday life, and contribute to social action.

Beyond awareness

The Week is designed to take a step beyond merely building awareness — it is a chance for true collaboration and participation. Research has shown that while the majority of people asked have heard of social innovation, less than a third felt that they truly understood it.

<⅓

“…less than a third felt that they truly understood it.”

It was by experiencing it first-hand that people felt they could truly appreciate its reach and impact. The Week provides a powerful means to offer the public precisely these types of experiences: to communicate, convene, co-create, connect and celebrate.

Five experiences



Communicate

Make social innovation clear, visible and relevant to everyday life.



Convene

Create space for government, communities and practitioners to listen to one another.



Co-Create

Give people practical ways to contribute ideas, knowledge and experience.



Connect

Help people and organisations find partners, resources and opportunities.



Celebrate

Put existing achievements centre stage and build pride in what already works.

Large diverse group of professionally dressed people posing on an indoor grand staircase with white columns and archways.

Delivered together

The collaborative nature of the Week affects more than the experience of the participants; it is also fundamental to the delivery of the Week. Stakeholders from across all levels of government and across all sectors come together to pool their knowledge and efforts to deliver activities across the Week.

Combined reach

By leveraging the combined knowledge and reach of all involved, the Week can achieve expansive reach and true impact.

A bald man with a trimmed beard in a dark suit and red tie, speaking into a microphone while seated at a table with water bottles and glasses.

Value Beyond 
the Week



Repeated each year

P&PW is designed to create value beyond the Week. The relationships, ideas and commitments it generates can lead to new partnerships and inform government action.

Repeated each year, this can build steady progress towards making social innovation part of how countries plan, invest and govern.

Plan

Invest

Govern

First ever

2026

The 2026 Inaugural Edition

2026 will see the first ever People & Planet Week. All activities will be connected globally, with countries sharing their achievements during the Week on the global stage. This presents an exciting opportunity for participating governments to share experiences and benefit from peer-to-peer support. They will be part of a strong foundation that contributes to the shape of future Weeks, and in turn to the state of the field as a whole.

Join the movement



About People & Planet Week

Beyond awareness

Value Beyond the Week

The people are ready. Are you?

About
People &
Planet Week

Value Beyond 
the Week

The people are ready.
Are you?